Kindergarten

2019-20 registration is now open

First day of school for the class of 2032:

Tue, Sept. 3, 2019

Kindergarten is a big step in your child’s journey as a life-long learner. We know that when you send your child through our doors, you are trusting us with your most precious gift. It is our promise to provide a warm, safe, and welcoming environment for your child. Our students’ success and wellbeing is our deepest concern. Learning in Eastern Carver County Schools is a personal journey tailored to each student. To learn more about what our district can provide your child, explore our program information below.

School-based child care is an option for before- and after-school care for enrolled students.

2019-20 School Year Information

Kindergarten Parent Preview

Kindergarten Parent Preview is an informational meeting for parents/guardians. Children will be invited to a special kindergarten event in May. Attend either the webinar or in-person event; the same information will be presented.

Webinar | Tue, Nov. 13, 12:00 p.m. – Learn more about our kindergarten options from the comfort of your own home or office. Sign up at eccs.mn/kweb. If you cannot attend the live event, register anyway to receive a link to the recording.

Required Meetings for La Academia & Kinder Academy

If you are interested in enrolling your child in La Academia or Kinder Academy, you must attend a required entrance meeting. The location for the meetings is La Academia.

Wed, Nov. 28, La Academia: 6:00 p.m., Kinder Academy: 7:00 p.m.

Tue, Jan. 8, La Academia: 6:00 p.m., Kinder Academy: 7:00 p.m.

Kindergarten Sneak-A-Peek in May

Once your child’s registration is complete, they will be invited for a visit in May. Sneak-A-Peek allows you and your child to preview the experience of kindergarten. The event will be held at your child’s school on Thu, May 2. Details will be mailed to your home in April.

Program Options

Kindergarten

Eastern Carver County Schools offers an outstanding all-day kindergarten program. Since children develop in a variety of ways and have different rates of growth, it is important that five-year-olds who enter this program are able to be successful. This program is not child care, but rather a program that is academically stimulating, engaging, motivating and developmentally appropriate for five-year-olds. The all-day program includes specialist classes such as Physical Education, Music and Art.

Spanish Immersion School: La Academia

La Academia is our Spanish immersion elementary school, combining native English and Spanish speakers. Students have the opportunity to be both first-language models and second-language learners beginning in kindergarten and continuing through fifth grade. Our kindergarten instruction begins with 90% of the core academic instruction in Spanish and 10% in English. As children progress through the grades, the percentages shift until both languages are taught 50% of the day.

A typical day looks very similar to other all-day programs, but the kindergarten curriculum is taught in Spanish. Students work toward the same academic standards and attend specialist classes. Students have access to Club Care before and after school.

Our Spanish immersion education is available at no cost to families. Transportation is available to La Academia students within Eastern Carver County Schools.

Program for Young Five-Year-Olds: Kinder Academy

What is Kinder Academy?Kinder Academy is an alternative all-day kindergarten experience for children who turn five in the summer. In the state of Minnesota, children are eligible to attend kindergarten when they are five-years-old on or before September 1 of the calendar year that schools starts. This program gives parents an option for late-summer birthday students who may or may not be ready for kindergarten. Kinder Academy is not an option for early entrance.

The program will follow Eastern Carver County Schools’ kindergarten curriculum. Students who are ready to move on to first grade after one year, based on the teacher’s assessment, will do so. Students who would benefit from an additional year will stay in the program, with the same teacher. The teacher will modify the curriculum for the older children’s developmental level. This multi-age classroom is consistent with Eastern Carver County Schools’ mission of personalized learning and our continuous progress initiative. These older kindergarten students will be mini-leaders in the class and role models to incoming young 5-year-olds. After year two, older students will advance to first grade.

Transportation is available to Kinder Academy students within Eastern Carver County Schools.

Who should apply?
Children who turn 5 in the summer are the most likely candidates for this program, but any interested families will be considered. The application process will include consideration of whether a child is ready for this classroom setting. Children must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1.

What if someone registered for kindergarten? Can they still get into this program?
Yes, if not all spaces have been filled. Contact the Welcome Center regarding your interest. We will not remove current applications until the parents/guardians attend a required meeting with the principal to learn more about Kinder Academy.

How does this differ from Community Education’s Pre-K Kindergarten Connection program?
Kinder Academy is kindergarten with curriculum modifications based on the academic and social needs of the students. Kinder Academy offers progress into first grade based on student readiness. The program meets five days a week and is offered at no cost to families.

Pre-K Kindergarten Connection, offered through Community Education, combines early childhood programming and kindergarten curriculum, but it is not kindergarten. Students enroll in kindergarten after Kindergarten Connection. Children in Kindergarten Connection attend two to five days a week based on family choice. Kindergarten Connection is a fee-based program.

Other options

Early Entrance

The Early Entrance provision accommodates the needs of a gifted learner who would be educationally disadvantaged by not beginning kindergarten at an earlier age. Through personalized learning, Eastern Carver County Schools tailors the pace of learning and instruction to each learner, giving highly-gifted students the challenge they need. Since this decision is so important, our goal is to be very careful and admit only those children who meet stringent criteria. Factors we examine to determine a child’s appropriate placement include physical health, emotional maturity, social adjustment, and intelligence. It is not advantageous for a child to enter school early unless we can predict with assurance that the child will be successful not only in kindergarten, but in the twelve years that follow. Typically, parents choose not to enroll their child in kindergarten early after considering the long-term effects early entrance may have on their child. If you would like to explore our preschool program, please know that we have scholarships available to families in need of financial assistance.